bonne journée
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
The English phrase "have a nice day" is translated into French as bonne journée.
The phrase bonne journée is used specifically as a farewell to wish someone a pleasant remainder of the day, rather than as a greeting.
Meaning: goodbye (phrase)
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, bonne journée translates to "good day" in the feminine form, where bonne is the feminine adjective for "good".
Which one should you use?
While bonne journée is used when leaving someone to wish them a good day, bonjour is used when arriving to greet them.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɔn ʒuʁ.ne/
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers often mistakenly write "bon jour" as two words, but the greeting is bonjour and the wish for a good day is bonne journée.
Did you know?
- The word journée descends from the Vulgar Latin *diurnāta, which originally referred to the amount of work a person could do in one day.
- The word journée refers to the duration or span of a day, rather than a single point in time. This is why you use it to wish someone a pleasant passage through the remaining hours.
- In French, using bonne journée instead of just au revoir makes the speaker appear much warmer and more polite in service settings like bakeries or shops.
Examples in context
- Passe une bonne journée.Have a nice day.This sentence shows how to use the phrase in a simple command.Tatoeba #336902 by sysko, translation #30085 by CK
- Bonne journée et à demain !Have a nice day and see you tomorrow!This sentence demonstrates using the phrase alongside a farewell for tomorrow.Tatoeba #6637785 by felix63, translation #13715703 by zogwarg
- As-tu passé une bonne journée ?Did you have a nice day?This sentence shows how to use the phrase in a question about someone's day.Tatoeba #12175904 by lbdx, translation #9345774 by CK
- Passe une bonne journée, Marie.Have a good day, Marie.
- Je te souhaite une journée agréable, Pierre.I wish you a pleasant day, Pierre.
- 7 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is leaving a bakery where Chloé works.
- GabrielMerci pour le pain, au revoir !Thank you for the bread, goodbye!
- ChloéDe rien, Gabriel. Bonne journée !You're welcome, Gabriel. Have a nice day!
- GabrielMerci, vous aussi !Thank you, you too!
- ChloéÀ bientôt !See you soon!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “have a nice day” translations and entries bonne journée, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries journée, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
